Online Auctions...? (red light, auto, best, buy)

[Think (Freedom)]

I am looking into buying a new(er) car, but I want to pay cash.. I dont want the hassle of monthly payments. Several people have told me to go to a car auction. Has anyone here ever bought a car this way? How do they work, do you get to see and test drive the car before you pay if theyre in your area? Any websites that someone can recommend that are worth paying the access fee?

HELP!

[Roaddog]

If your talking about e-bay you only see it if you go to where it's at, I wouldn't ever buy a car without seeing it and driving it.

[Think (Freedom)]

Well I've seen cars on ebay, but I've also seen other websites that say they have repo'd cars for example, and thats why theyre cheaper. But I'm just not 100% sure how this works.

[DaSkorpion]

Only problem with auctions are that you are paying for what you see NOT what you think you might be getting...you can see a nice car, bid & win the auction but lets say you drive out of the yard and the car breaks down half way --- guess what you cannot return it - it is now yours to keep and what you choose to do with it is your problem not theirs.

One site that comes to mind is Interstate Public Auto Auction they use proxibid.com - for online bidding you can also go to their location and view the car as well but I am not sure if they allow any test drives.

One other place to look will be local police auctions - some have great cars seized from drug dealers etc.

Good Luck and keep us posted.

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Originally Posted by dragonofillfaith

I am looking into buying a new(er) car, but I want to pay cash.. I dont want the hassle of monthly payments. Several people have told me to go to a car auction. Has anyone here ever bought a car this way? How do they work, do you get to see and test drive the car before you pay if theyre in your area? Any websites that someone can recommend that are worth paying the access fee?

HELP!

[Think (Freedom)]

Ok thanks, I'll look into police auctions

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by dragonofillfaith

I am looking into buying a new(er) car, but I want to pay cash.. I dont want the hassle of monthly payments. Several people have told me to go to a car auction. Has anyone here ever bought a car this way? How do they work, do you get to see and test drive the car before you pay if theyre in your area? Any websites that someone can recommend that are worth paying the access fee?

HELP!

Check into the banks too. Often times the banks reposses cars and sell them just for what the balance of the loan was so they don't lose out. Often times they won't tell you what the balance of the loan was though. Careful though. My brother tried buying one for his daughter from a bank and they wouldn't let him test drive it because there was no insurance on it but it's one way you mihgt find a good deal. In my area, if you go to an auction, you have to provide a letter of statement or cash on hand to buy and often times you are not able to drive the cars either. Basically just look at them and hope for the best.

[Rcm58]

We have several local car auctions in the bristol, tn area. They work basically the same everywhere, green light cars are cars that you can drive, if something major is wrong with them you are sent to arbitration, anything won under the red light is your headache.
Ebay has a feature where you can pull up everything being sold in just your area, most sellers will allow you to come check the vehicle out first.

[ShadowCaver]

So, has anyone bought a vehicle that was listed on eBay?

Experience - good/bad?

If so, and the auto was too far away to see directly, how would ya minimize potential issues?

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by DragonOfIllFaith

I am looking into buying a new(er) car, but I want to pay cash.. I dont want the hassle of monthly payments. Several people have told me to go to a car auction. Has anyone here ever bought a car this way? How do they work, do you get to see and test drive the car before you pay if theyre in your area? Any websites that someone can recommend that are worth paying the access fee?

HELP!

Good question, Dragon

Buying a vehicle, especially an older vehicle, always has risks.

If your "mechanical knowledge" is limited, buying from a reputable dealer offering a warranty is your best bet or as plan B, a private sale from an "older" driver.

Auctions are tough because you have limited access and time to check the vehicle before bidding.

[andreabeth]

Originally Posted by ShadowCaver

So, has anyone bought a vehicle that was listed on eBay?

Experience - good/bad?

If so, and the auto was too far away to see directly, how would ya minimize potential issues?

I purchased a new car on ebay. My experience was good. I used the 'buy it now' option and paid cash. Once the paperwork went through the car was promptly shipped.
I knew the dealership that I bought from had been in business for a long time (they were around back when I lived in TX) and I couldn't find any complaints about them so I figured they were reputable. Their feedback on ebay was very good, too. Since the car was new and under warranty I felt OK about buying without driving it myself.
Overall, things worked out nicely and I'm real happy with my new car.